The Mercy Helpline Initiative (MHI) joins the global community today, July 15, 2026, in observing World Youth Skills Day, under the theme: “Skills for a shared future.”
Executive Director, of the initiative Samuel Solomon, was a live guest at correctfm Kano where he engage young people across Nigeria, emphasizing the urgent need for skills acquisition as a pathway to economic empowerment, self-reliance, and national development.
MHI calls on Nigerian youth to embrace skills acquisition as a tool for relevance and transformation. In a rapidly changing world, academic qualifications alone are no longer sufficient. Digital, green, technical, and entrepreneurial skills are essential to thrive in the 21st century economy.
We encourage young people to identify their passions and talents and pursue skills that align with them; seek out vocational training opportunities, apprenticeships, and mentorship programmes; embrace digital literacy and emerging technologies; view skills acquisition not as an alternative to education but as a complement to it; and be agents of change in their communities by sharing their skills with others.
Your skills are your power. Your relevance begins with what you can offer.
MHI calls on all levels of government to invest more in skills and vocational training as an integral part of Nigeria’s education system. We urge integration of vocational training into the school curriculum from primary to tertiary levels; increased funding for technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions; establishment of skills acquisition centres in every local government area; partnerships with private sector and civil society to provide hands-on training and apprenticeships; recognition and certification of informal skills to enhance employability; and support for youth entrepreneurship through access to finance, mentorship, and market linkages.
Nigeria’s youth population is its greatest asset. By investing in skills, we are investing in a future where young people are not job seekers but job creators, not liabilities but assets, not victims but victors.
Every youth matters. Every skill counts. Every life deserves relevance.
Signed
Samuel Solomon
Executive Director
Mercy Helpline Initiative (MHI)
For media inquiries, please contact:
Mercy Helpline Initiative (MHI)
📞 +234 806 127 3237
📧 mercyhelplineinitiative@gmail.com
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